Though birthday's themselves can sometimes suck
by 18-Midori-37
Summary: It's Hijikata's birthday, and there's quite a few things in store for him, and they all have something to do with Gin-san.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Though birthday's themselves can sometimes suck, there will always be something better to come in the days to follow

Pairing: GinHiji/HijiGin

Rating: T..I guess

Word Count: 2,765

Warnings/Notes: So this is an older fic that's been sitting around looking cute in my mac for a while...It was written as a gift to a friend and was supported to be more than one chapter, but yeah...that never happened. ^^; I certainly wouldn't mind picking it up again, but I'd like to first see how it's received (...and try to find/remember what I had originally planned for this fic, hehe...).

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Gintama belongs to Sorachi Hideaki

Summary: It's Hijikata's birthday, and there's quite a few things in store for him, and they all have something to do with Gin-san.

The first rays of sunlight barely began to peak over the horizon. The sounds of the birds greeting the new day with their song was the only thing to be heard in the stillness of the early morning hours.

For Hijikata, still barely awake at this hour, it was relaxing, so inviting of sleep...

However, falling asleep would just not do. He still had far too much paperwork to get done. Under regular circumstances, this rare time of peace and quiet would have been most welcome considering the hectic week it has been for the Shinsengumi. That is, had it not been for the fact that almost every aspect of the hectic week had required Hijikata's attention. It was to the point where he was needed at five different places at once, and while he was completely drained physically and mentally, the last thing Hijiakta wanted to do was surrender the battle with his heavy eyelids.

What started out as some criminals who claimed to be Jouishishi committing various crimes such as robbery and murder turned into what Hijikata figured was a conspiracy, seeing as numerous small-sized Jouishishi groups emerged out of nowhere. They were causing a ruckus all over Edo simultaneously, resulting in Hijikata having to be in non-stop motion, working late into the night hours and being welcomed back by piles of paperwork stacked on his desk upon his return to the barracks.

Now here he sat cross-legged at his desk within a sea of papers, his forehead dropped in his left palm, in the right, a forgotten cigarette between his fingers who's nicotine was doing nothing anymore to help keep Hijikata awake and was left to slowly use itself up.

And if the paperwork from hell wasn't enough, all night long since the time he reached the sanctity of his room, Hijikata had this sense of foreboding that grew stronger as the sun rose. He couldn't really make sense of it just yet, but he had a feeling that it was a warning of sorts.

Sighing in frustration at what was quickly becoming a losing battle against his blanking mind, Hijikata only managed to snuff out the forgotten smoke in the ashtray that was already filled to the brim with cigarette stubs before his eyelids shut tight, sending Hijikata's body into sleep mode without him even realizing it.

-0-0-

Consciousness slowly made its way back to Hijikata as he cracked his eyes open ever so slightly when he caught the faint scent of tobacco. Though it was odd, since it certainly wasn't him who was smoking, so where was the scent coming from …?

It took a few moments for his vision to clear when he opened his eyes completely and when it did, he began to notice things.

One, he was staring at the ceiling. Two, he awoke changed out of his uniform and into his night time clothing laying under the covers of his futon. Three, his room was brightly lit by the sunlight.

He gasped when his slow crawling mind caught up with his observations and he sat upright.

'_How the hell did I end up in bed? The last thing I remember was putting out my cigarette…'_

"Yo Birthday Boy, you awake?"

It was a familiar voice, an unexpected voice.

Hijikata's gaze sought out the direction in which the voice came, and his eyes widened when he confirmed who the owner of the voice was.

"Yorozuya…" Hijikata whispered under his breath, all the answers to his unvoiced questions starting right back at him.

The shoji door leading to the courtyard outside Hijikata's room was completely opened, no doubt by the silver-haired man leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest and his legs stretched out, crossed at the ankles. Dressed in Hijikata's uniform and a cigarette dangling from the corner of his lips curled up in a smirk, Hijikata's eyes locked with the pair of crimson eyes that gleamed under the sunlight.

Bringing his right hand up to his face, Gintoki caught the cigarette between his middle and index fingers, closing his eyes for a moment as he took in a breath of the tobacco, removing the cigarette from his lips as he blew the smoke into a passing breeze.

"So, finally get your beauty sleep?" he began, locking his gaze back with Hijikata's. "Not that you really need it since you're still sexy to me no matter what. It was certainly a sight to see though. You with bags under your eyes and drool coming out of the corner of your mouth crashed at your desk."

Hijikata put his forehead in his hand, groaning at his words and at the knowledge that Gintoki saw him in such a state. The fact that Gintoki was clearly wearing the uniform he had on the night before left no doubt in his mind that Gintoki was the one responsible for _changing_ him, too. While his first reaction to this realization would have been to get on Gintoki's case, Hijikata simply let out a long, deep sigh.

"What are you doing here?" Hijikata asked instead.

"Saving you from yourself, Birthday Boy." Gintoki replied.

This time the words 'Birthday Boy' caught Hijikata's attention, and made no sense. What was Gintoki playing at? It wasn't his -

Hijikata paused, turning his head to look at the calendar hanging on the wall and his mouth opened in surprise and disbelief.

_May 5…my…birthday…?_

It was Gintoki's turn to sigh. "Aw, geez, don't tell me you forgot your own birthday!"

"I guess I did…" he said at length, making a face at Gintoki who was shaking his head in a that-just-figureskind of way. Then another thing Gintoki previously said registered in his mind, and Hijikata narrowed his eyes at him.

"Wait, what do you mean 'saving me from myself'?' "

At that, Gintoki's smirk returned. "For the rest of the day I'm to uphold all the duties of the Vice-Commander in his place while he has the day off to relax and rest after a trying week." he proclaimed as he stuck out his chest with pride at his new job. Hijikata's expression went from suspicious to confused, and Gintoki couldn't help but laugh outright at the sight.

"Basically, it means I'm your present who's job it is to take on all your burdens for the day."

Hijikata snorted. "My present, huh? Not one of your better ideas. Do you have any clue what it takes to do my job?"

"Well, sadly to say this wasn't my idea but the idea of that gorilla. _My_ idea is there at your right," Gintoki informed him. He took his statement as pretext for to get up, taking a couple steps inside and sliding the door closed behind himself. Disposing of the cigarette in his hand in the ash tray on the desk, he then made his way over to Hijikata's side.

Looking to his right, Hijikata found what indeed looked like a present in a white box with a red ribbon. Upon closer inspection, Hijikata noticed a small rectangle card attached to the ribbon by a thin string, the words _'To Oogushi-kun' _written on it in the natural-perm's unmistakable penmanship.

"I was actually on my way over here to give this to you when I found a note attached to my front door," Gintoki further explained as he took a seat at Hijikata's left.

"It was from that gorilla boss of yours asking me to help you to enjoy your birthday by relieving you of your duties, while spending time with you so that you wouldn't be alone."

Gintoki glanced over from his close proximity to the black-haired man, grinning. "Apparently he thought I'd be the best person to turn to, seeing as 'we get along so well' and have been 'spending a lot of time together'." he said, quoting Kondo's words from the note.

"Seems he's caught on," he finished.

Hijikata said nothing at that but began to feel flustered at Gintoki's closeness, turning his head away. It was then that Hijikata took notice of his desk, cleared of the stacks of paper that were there the night before.

Gintoki followed his gaze. "Oh, those? I already took care of them, not to worry."

Yet Hijikata did worry. Gintoki could tell he did.

"I had Jimmy show me how to fill them out, and if I screwed up somewhere, I'll take responsibility, okay?" Gintoki supplied as a way of assuring him.

As if on cue, they both heard footsteps in the distance coming closer to Hijikata's room, and soon Yamazaki appeared, his shadow cast on the door from the sunlight behind him, greeting his superior and awaiting permission to enter. Hijikata gave him the okay absently, still staring at Gintoki with a questioning look. In the end, he decided to trust Gintoki, figuring he'd just make sure he held him to his word that he'd take responsibility should he have made a mistake.

Yamazaki entered, sliding the door closed with his right foot as he balanced a tray of food in his arms. Walking over to his superior, Yamazaki knelt down on the side opposite of Gintoki, setting down the tray within Hijikata's reach.

He began briefing the two on the recent details he acquired involving the Joui incidents and Kondo's whereabouts, which at the moment was in a meeting with Old Man Matsudaira.

After asking both Hijikata and Gintoki if there was anything else he could do, Yamazaki stood to bow and exited the room the same way he entered.

Hijikata began to reach for the food at his left when Gintoki's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Since one of your presents have been put in use already, you should at least open your other one," Gintoki suggested, placing the white box on Hijikata's lap. Hijikata lifted an eyebrow at that but said nothing as he turned his attention to the box, hesitating for a moment before lifting the lid to reveal the contents inside.

He didn't know what he was expecting, if anything, but he certainly wasn't expecting anything like this. It was only until Gintoki uttered the words _"_It's a cigarette maker," did he make sense of the device he lifted out of the box.

Gintoki explained that the day before he went to Gengai's to offer him a deal. If the old man put him to work, instead of paying him in money, Gintoki instructed Gengai create the light-weight and simple to use machine instead. All it took to get it to work was to insert in a couple cigarette stubs into the open slot on one side of the device and from there it handled the rest, dispensing the finished cigarette at the other end, created by recycling what was left of the used ones. This was more for 'emergency' sake, when the nicotine addict ran out and couldn't get a chance to go buy more.

"...And let me tell you that old man sure knows how to put a guy to work," Gintoki grumbled under his breath, turning his attention to Hijikata who hadn't said a word since he opened the gift. Gintoki stared hard at Hijikata as he waited anxiously for his response to his gift.

Hijikata's eyes were covered by his bangs so Gintoki couldn't really tell what his expression was...

'_...But it was...worth the effort...nee, Hijikata-kun?'_

Gintoki couldn't help the nervous flinch when Hijikata finally lifted his head, his cheeks taking on a pink shade as he held Hijikata's gaze. For a moment his expression was unreadable as to whether he was pleased or not, but then Hijikata burst into laughter at Gintoki's nervous appearance, all the while bringing the cigarette maker closer, holding it to his chest to serve as his silent answer to Gintoki's unspoken question.

At that motion, the breath he didn't even know he was holding in rushed out of his lungs in and Gintoki rubbed the back of his head in a bashful manner, grinning, the blush on his cheeks deepening a shade.

To be able to trigger this rare flustered behavior from Gintoki over such a small thing was highly amusing to Hijikata, something he didn't realize he could do, and he liked it. To have this 'power' over the stubborn, carefree man, it was really something, and he planned to use it to his full advantage.

Gintoki blinked at the smug sort of smile that appeared on Hijikata's face, and could only sit motionless as Hijikata placed a hand on his left cheek, tugging him forward for a kiss. What he intended to be a light, quick kiss Hijikata turned into a slow, passionate one. Warm mouths pressed together, tongues exploring, Hijikata tasted a mix of tobacco and sugar on Gintoki's lips, an odd but delicious taste nonetheless. He broke off the kiss to come up for air, resting his forehead against Gintoki's with that same smirk on his face and with a sparkle in his eyes as they both panted.

"For this," Hijikata motioned to hisnew cigarette maker. "I suppose I can forgive you for taking my cigarettes." he commented, regarding the one Gintoki had been smoking earlier.

At that, Gintoki smirked too. "Well, I got another surprise waiting for you. How about we go pick it up later when I go on parol?" he suggested.

"Hmm...I guess, but it better be good if you're gonna make the_ Birthday Boy_ walk for it."

"Hey, it shouldn't be just the present you're after, you should be looking forward to spending time together with me." Gintoki remarked with a false-hurt tone.

"But when that time comes, you're to be _patrolling_, not goofing off. It seems like you forgot the fact that your supposed to be working in my place-"

"_And_ helping you enjoy your birthday, so a little bit of _goofing off_ is also part of my job," Gintoki add. "Don't worry, I'm the Yorozuya, after all. I can do both no problem."

An explosion sounded in the distance, both men swiftly put their guard up, to only put it down just as fast as the voices of Yamazaki and Sougo drifted to their ears. If it was to two of them as the source of the ruckus, them it was simply another case of Sougo trying to inflict harm on Yamazaki for whatever it was he did to piss of the young captain.

Gintoki snickered at the turn of events. "Looks like before I make a mistake in the paperwork, it seems that Jimmy and Okita-kun are gonna get the whole place destroyed."

Hijikata on the other hand was just annoyed, choosing to ignore the commotion by busying himself with his breakfast.

"Hurry up and stop those two before they blow up my room," he instructed.

"Got it," Gintoki replied, straightening up and hastening his step as he heard the two trouble makers get closer.

Forgetting how hungry he was the night before, Hijikata hurriedly stuffed his face with food, to only grimace as he swallowed down the food that had not an ounce of mayo in it. He began to seriously ponder whether he should join Sougo in beating the crap out of Yamazaki over forgetting something so important, when he saw Gintoki stopped at the open doorway. He seemed to be looking for something within the inner pocket of the uniform jacket and a moment later called out "Here," as he tossed the something over his shoulder as he stepped out to deal with two of his 'temporary subordinates'.

Hijikata caught the item, which turned out to be a brand new mayo bottle complete with another red ribbon and card.

'_Heh, Yorozuya really seems to be taking his job seriously for once...'_

It occurred then to Hijikata that the foreboding feeling that was bothering him since the night before seemed to have disappeared. Maybe it was more appropriate to say that it was being overpowered by the constant fluttering in his stomach triggered by Gintoki's presence. Or perhaps the foreboding feeling he took as a warning was just a sign that was leading up to the silver-haired man's appearance. He didn't know, and right now, he really didn't care.

Smiling to himself as he twisted open the red bottle cap, Hijikata poured almost half of its contents all over his food as the message he read on the card still lingered in his thoughts.

'_Happy Birthday Hijikata Toushirou-kun...'_


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Though birthday's themselves can sometimes suck, there will always be something better to come in the days to follow

Paring: GinHiji/HijiGin

Rating: T..I guess

Word Count: 2,260

Warnings/Notes: Sooo yeah as you can see, I decided to continue with what I originally had planned for this fic rather than leave it as a one-shot. I recall the various reasons for having dropped this fic in the past and to put it simply I just didn't think I was ready to do something beyond a one-shot. But I'm giving it a shot (no pun intended haha) so after finally getting the next chapter done( and re-editing the first chapter, please give it another read when you get a chance!) and ready to share, WE BEGIN. So to those who are willing to read this and follow to the end, I say a big thank you in advance! It won't be that long I imagine, but in any case, I'll try my best to not make this a painful read and try to get chapters out as quick as I can with uni and all.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Gintama belongs to Sorachi Hideaki

Gintoki's intervention had the ruckus from outside silenced quickly enough, and for the first time in a while, Hijikata was able to have a relaxing breakfast.

_'Really, everything before hand just seems like a crappy dream...'_

Ever since he awoke this morning, Hijikata has felt at ease and he dare say happy. He really had to ponder when was the last time he felt like this, especially since this hellish week in particular allotted for only headaches and frustration.

'_Is it because Yorozuya is here...?'_

In all honesty, Hijikata believed that to be true, and the realization of such brought both a smile and blush to his face, in that order.

The understanding of that alone was quite pleasing to him, but on the other hand, thoughts of sharing this with Gintoki put butterflies in his stomach. Not so much the act of telling him itself, but of the reaction this knowledge would garner from the natural-perm. If Hijikata knew Gintoki at all at this point, him thinking it as something stupid or as to laugh at Hijikata for would be far from what would be on Gintoki's mind. That wasn't the vice-commander's concern. Rather Hijikata knew, that upon learning about something of this nature, Gintoki would come to smile that dorky smile of his and get that certain look in his eyes.

It wasn't as if Hijikata was dreading that reaction from Gintoki, quite the opposite, for he rather enjoyed it. However, he's come to learn that when the silver-haired man comes to have that expression on his face, they'll end up _sidetracked_ for quite some time no matter what they were doing prior. While Hijikata was certainly not against that outcome, well, there was still work to be done.

However, there was another aspect to that reaction which tended to gave Hijikata pause.

The vice-commander knew that upon learning of his thoughts, Gintoki's smile would immediately convey how his giant ego and pride would have grown a bit larger with what his presence does to the mayora. His eyes however would come to have a more serious, a more genuine look which conveyed Gintoki's true happiness and thankfulness over being someone like that for Hijikata. It seemed in Hijikata's mind that when Gintoki is told he's done good in one way or another it comes to mean a great deal to him, as if it was something rare for him, something he didn't deserve.

Gintoki could be the biggest goofball with an inflated ego, but there where also instances when it seemed Gintoki thought so little of himself. The more Hijikata thought on the reason why, the more he had a feeling it had to do with Gintoki's past as Shiroyasha which he knew so very little about.

In the end, Hijikata let out a sigh, figuring that thinking on it so much wasn't going to change anything nor was it going to stop his concerns, since it was doing quite the opposite at present.

As if to help cease his train of thought, Yamazaki appeared (albeit roughed up) to remove the breakfast tray. Upon Yamazaki's exit, Hijikata gave himself a mental shake, raising out of bed and stretching. Gintoki may have taken over his job for the day, but that didn't mean he knew the ropes, and in any case Hijikata just wasn't one for lazing around, unlike a pair of sadists he could think of.

-0-0-

"Hijikata-kun, you ready to go?"

Sliding open the door without a second thought, Gintoki entered Hijikata's room and stumbled right onto the sight of said vice-commander in the middle of dressing himself.

Hijikata's motions stilled for a moment at Gintoki's entrance. With the front side of his body having been facing the door and his kimono untied, his entire front was bare save for his underwear.

Before, Hijikata would have promptly covered himself and given Gintoki an earful over not knocking all the while being completely embarrassed.

Now however, he does no such thing.

"Yeah, just give me a moment," he replied absently as he finished dressing himself.

Mentally, Hijikata was enjoying the flustered expression that surfaced on Gintoki's face. This would be the second time in one morning in which Hijikata was able to leave the sugar addict unintentionally flustered and speechless. It just went to show that while Gintoki has an effect in Hijikata with his presence, Hijikata is able to do the same to the silver-haired man in his own ways, and it pleased him on many levels.

Sliding his sword in place at his side, Hijikata shot Gintoki a knowing smirk when he looked up to meet his eyes, chuckling at the sight of the silver-haired man's pouting face which was undoubtably caused by having his ogling cut short.

"Something wrong, Yorozuya?" he asked as he made his way towards Gintoki's direction.

"Nope, just that a certain mayora likes to be a tease."

Gintoki's eyes followed Hijikata as he made his way past him, stepping off the porch and slipping into his sandals.

"Like you're one to talk," Hijikata commented as he turned to stare at the pouting man. "In any case, don't forget you have a job to do, so get your mind in the right place and let's go."

At that, Gintoki's pout turned to a smirk as well. "My mind is always in the _right_ place," he said a bit softly as he bent down from his position on the porch to steal a quick kiss from the vice-commander below him.

"Hopeless," Hijikata muttered.

The meaning behind Gintoki's words were not lost to him and he couldn't help but smile as they headed out for their patrol-slash-date.

-0-0-

"I see..."

Katsura's men sat before their leader in silence, practically holding their breath as they waited hear what he would make of the situation and what he would choose to do about it. The information they delivered was not at all positive, and the fact alone that Katsura would have them go hunt down information on a matter that was technically outside their jurisdiction showed how much it was coming to bother him.

It only took about a minute for Katsura to contemplate his men's report in his mind before he came to a decision. The men flinched when he hastily rose from his seat, standing before them with his right arm extended above their heads as he gave his order.

"I cannot ignore this matter any longer. The time has come for us to take action against these men who dare to commit atrocities under the title of Jouishishi. We will find them and put an end to their actions!"

All the men came to attention, grunting in response. That Katsura was upset was quite evident in his tone so much so that he was hardly one to be reckoned with at this point.

"However, Katsura-san," One of the men hesitantly chimed in. "The Shinsengumi have been investigating the case for some time now. Wouldn't our interference make it seem as if we are helping the enemy as well as putting ourselves at risk?"

"It is true that we Jouishishi and the Shinsengumi are on two different sides when it comes to our positions in society," Katsura replied. "However, we both share the same goal in wanting to protect Edo, its people, and their future as we see fit. Thus, as it stands now, there are men out there committing acts of violence claiming to be Jouishishi. That is something neither we nor the Shinsengumi can turn a blind eye to."

His men seemed to accept this fairly enough and digested his words in silence.

"Now, go! Capture these men who dare sully the Jouishishi name! Use force if necessary, but do not kill them or we shall be playing their game. We must stop their activities by taking them off the streets of Edo and away from the citizens!"

"Yes, sir!"

Katsura watched as his men dashed out of the room, leaving only himself and Elizabeth behind.

'_Katsura-san, are you sure about this? The men did have a point.' _Elizabeth's sign read.

"This will be far from an easy matter," Katsura began, a pained smile appearing on his face. "But considering the damage that has been done thus far by these men, I've already waited too long."

Had it been just a few stray rotten individuals looking for trouble under the Jouishisi name, Katsura had figured they would be apprehended soon enough by the Shinsengumi before things got out of control. Even he'd come to do so on occasion when such individuals came across his path like he did with Ikumatsu's brother-in-law. Yet it seemed like Edo had been unexpectedly showered with people of that sort doing whatever they pleased with no regard to anyone else. Beyond that, he just couldn't make sense of the matter, and the more Katsura began to think of it, the more he came to think that as disorganized as it was, there was some motive underneath it all which was yet unknown to him, and as far as he could tell, to the Shinsengumi as well. In the back of his mind, he was suspecting this all to be some sort of elaborate trap set for him for reasons unknown, but remaining in the shadows was going to do him no good in finding out more information and putting a stop to them.

Katsura bent down to retrieve the sword at his feet. "Come on, Elizabeth. Let's go."

-0-0-

"Really, it's amazing how you can still look so sexy even as you're eating that monstrosity-on-a-stick." Gintoki commented.

Hijikata didn't even bat an eye at the word 'sexy.' "It's only a monstrosity-on-a-stick to you because your sugar obsessed tongue can't understand the rich taste of mayo."

"Yeah, yeah..."

Thankfully, in regards to police matters, the patrol was uneventful. Their date on the other hand...

_'I'm definitely gonna have to thank that gorilla later,'_ Gintoki mused as he glanced over at the mayora at his right, who was busy eating mayo-covered dango as they walked about the streets of Edo.

Gintoki had been told by Kondo in his letter that Hijikata was having a tough week, his condition upon Gintoki's arrival at the barracks was solid proof. Yet all that just seemed so long ago already, the worn out Hijikata of last night was no where to be found.

Now at his side he was pleasantly surprised to find a genuinely happy and at ease Hijikata, and the sight brought a sincere smile on Gintoki's face.

Hijikata caught sight of the expression. "What?"

"It's reassuring to see you at ease like this." Gintoki said earnestly. "Your condition when I first saw you earlier really gave me a scare."

No longer did Gintoki's bantering get him worked up. Yet what could do so was when that goofball got serious on him. Hijikata's blush as instantaneous at Gintoki's words, espeically since they were triggered by his having his emotions as readable as an open book without his knowing it seemed.

"It seems what you needed more than anything was just a good night's rest," He continued. "And some sugar," he added, winking as he motioned towards the dango in Hijikata's hand.

"The sugar has noting to do with it." Hijikata relied at length as he finished off his dango. "And while the rest maybe helped my condition..." he trailed off. "...that's not what's putting me at ease."

Hijikata's eyes widened as he realized a second too late what he had just said aloud, and he wanted to kick himself for stirring the conversation in the very direction he _didn't_ want it to go.

'_Crap, crap, crap! Wasn't I trying to _avoid_ telling him this?'_

Daring to glance at Gintoki, Hijikata came to see that his response caught the silver-haired man off guard so much that he didn't even know what to make of it.

"Huh?"

'_Gah... it's not like I have a choice now, do I?'_

"Y-You..."Hijikata began.

Gintoki stopped walking completely and turned to stare at him, blinking.

Hijikata couldn't meet his eyes. "It's you, Yorozuya. You're the one who's putting me at ease."

"Me?"

"I-I dunno how to explain," Hijikata stuttered. "But you being here just makes me feel this way. There, I said it, okay?"

Hijikata still couldn't meet Gintoki's gaze, and without a word, Gintoki suddenly grabbed Hijikata's hand in his and began walking again, pulling him forward.

Hijikata finally looked up and saw two things. For one, Hijikata didn't even need to look at Gintoki's face to know the expression he was making was the very one he was suspecting he'd make all along. Just looking at his back he could see the happiness emanating off of him. The second thing...

"O-Oi, Yorozuya, wait! What are we doing here?"

Absently, Hijikata had recognized a while back during their walk that they had entered Kabuki-chou. What he hadn't realized was that their path this entire time was taking them straight to the Yorozuya itself.

Stopping short before the stairs that lead to the front door of his home, Gintoki turned around to face Hijikata, his goofy smile ever in place and his eyes shining with that ever genuine happiness.

"What do you mean, Hijikata-kun? We've simply reached our destination. Your second present from me which I made the Birthday Boy walk all this way for is inside."


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Though birthday's themselves can sometimes suck, there will always be something better to come in the days to follow

Paring: HijiGin

Rating: T...I guess

Word Count: 1,183

Warnings/Notes: Soooo first off, I'm SO sorry I took forever in updating, uni was not kind to me. ^^; Second, I thank every single one of you for your reviews and favs, I really appreciate it like you have no idea! Third, I'm glad I managed to get the next chapter out in time for Hijikata-san's B-day! ...Albeit barely, haha. It's still the 5th in my neck of the woods so I'm still on time! With that said however, I did have to cut this chapter extremely short, to the point where, while so many of you were guessing it, I had to leave off the 'naughty part' for another day. I do hope, given my hectic schedule, that this chapter still managed to come out all right. I may or may not update it later with edits if I feel the need to or if my dear readers see something in need of changing. But in any case, without further ado, I present chapter three in honor of Hijikata-san's birthday!

Enjoy! And Happy Birthday to you Hijikata-san!

Disclaimer: Gintama belongs to Sorachi Hideaki

Hijikata should have known it would have been impossible to escape this turn of events.

Pulled along by Gintoki with a gentle hold on his right hand, the two began the climb up the stairs of the Yorozuya.

Given all the preparation Gintoki put into the day thus far, Hijikata could tell the silver-haired samurai had some sort of plan. While Hijikata could recognize this much in his _occupied_ state of mind and wanted to respect what Gintoki had planned (as well as being honestly curious), it was still taking everything in Hijikata's self-control to not push Gintoki up against the wall and kiss him senseless here and now.

After being flashed that particular look from the silver-haired samurai, this gentle hand contact was hardly enough. He wanted more. His heart pounded in his ears and all the blood in his body went straight to his groin. Overall, he was being driven crazy.

Climbing the stairs seemed to take forever yet at the same time it couldn't have be long enough. Hijikata's position behind Gintoki gave him full view of the silver-haired samurai's backside. Almost as in a trace, Hijikata marveled Gintoki's body, watching the movement of the fine muscles of his shoulders and back underneath Hijikata's uniform. The more he stared, the more he then began imagining himself stripping Gintoki out his uniform article by article until Hijikata uncovered the beauty underneath.

He was snapped out of his fantasy when he heard the sound of the front door sliding open and Gintoki releasing his hand.

"Go on in and have a seat," Gintoki said as he pulled off his shoes. "I'll be right back."

With that, he disappeared into the kitchen. Stepping out of his sandals, Hijikata tried to compose himself with little success. Walking down the hallway to the living room, the vice-commander noticed the kids weren't around and neither was the dog. Good, Hijikata thought, hopefully they'd stay wherever they were and not interrupt.

It occurred to him just how much his mind was focused on that one growing desire, but right now, he really couldn't bring himself to care anymore.

Sliding out his sheathed sword from its place at his side, Hijikata took a seat on the sofa furthest away from the TV, leaning his sword against the sofa's edge and pulling out his cigarette pack from his sleeve, hoping that maybe a smoke would help compose him. It was then he saw an astray on the table that he couldn't remember being there before.

"Aah! Don't start smoking yet!"

Hijikata turned to see Gintoki standing at the doorway with an annoyed look on his face and another white box in his hands. He observed that Gintoki had removed the uniform jacket and had the white shirt sleeves rolled up.

"Really, just because I put an ashtray there and that's the first thing he does," Gintoki mumbled as he made his way over. "You nicotine freak."

At least this way, Hijikata was given something to think about other than his ever growing desires fueled further by Gintoki's current state of dress.

"Ha? What's your problem? I-"

His comeback was cut short when Gintoki placed the white box before him on the table.

"Just shut up and open your present will you?" Gintoki said, poking Hijikata on the forehead with his index finger, his smirk back in place.

Hijikata glared at him mockingly for all about a second before he turned his attention to the white box. Unlike earlier, there was no ribbon, and the lid was cold to the touch as Hijikata lifted it open.

Even before his eyes could register what he was looking at, his nose instantly alerted his brain to what was inside.

'_Mayonnaise.'_

A second later he realized what exactly he was given and he was honestly shocked, considering the sugar-freak it was coming from.

'_A mayo cake...'_

Thoroughly frosted with mayonnaise and covered in strawberries, the cake, complete with the words _'Happy Birthday Hijikata-kun,'_ was quite simply one of the most delicious looking cakes he's ever seen.

Gintoki chucked as he took in Hijikata's awe-struck expression, pulling out the fork he placed in his pocket and holding it in front of Hijikata's face.

"Well, are you just gonna drool over it or are you gonna try some?"

Taking the fork from Gintoki's hand, Hijikata leaned forward from his seat on he sofa to cut out a bite of the cake. His first taste of it was pure mayonnaise, following the moist, fluffy texture of the cake itself which combined made for a fairly sweet aftertaste.

"It's delicious..." Hijikata said.

When Hijikata looked up, Gintoki, who had remained standing at Hijikata's side, seemed to have been watching his every move.

At Hijikata's words, Gintoki sighed in relief, flashing that particular look of his to Hijikata for a second time that day, which instantly sent the little composure the vice-commander obtained in the shock of his present disappearing in a heartbeat.

"Gin-san made this himself you know," the natural-perm began, not noticing Hijikata's mood change in his relief that he liked the cake. "It's a shame though, having to ruin a perfectly good cake with mayo-frosting. At least the strawberries help make it look a little less nauseating than your previous monstrosity-on-a-stick."

Hijikata grinned at his joking, making a mental note to get back at Gintoki for all the bashing he was doing against his beloved mayonnaise. Now though, hoping Gintoki was through with any more gifts and surprises, Hijikata intended to make good on bringing his earlier fantasy to reality so that he could satisfy the growing heat in his nether regions...as well as express his thanks to a certain silver-haired idiot.

"Well, it's far from a monstrosity," Hijikata said as he stood up. "But there is something missing."

Bending down to swipe a strawberry from the cake and dipping it into the mayo-frosting, Hijikata brought it up to Gintoki's face, coating his bottom lip with mayonnaise. Gintoki didn't even have time to ask what was missing before Hijikata leaned in and captured Gintoki's mayo-covered lip in his mouth. Hijikata sucked gently, the tip of his tongue moving across Gintoki's bottom lip as he licked off the mayonnaise in a suggestive manner.

Hijikata grinned to himself at the quickening of Gintoki's breathing, the taste of Gintoki and mayonnaise combined as delightful as he thought.

Pulling away just enough to lick his own lips and look Gintoki in the eye, Hijikata said a single word in answer to Gintoki's question:

"You."

It took a moment for Gintoki's mind to register what Hijikata said, and when it did, he couldn't help the smug look on his face.

"Well then, Hijikata-kun, feel free to have me any way you please."

Hijikata didn't wait a moment longer and made quick work of removing the uniform tie that was in the way between him and his mouth latching onto Gintoki's neck.


End file.
